Category: Inventory / Merchandising / Supply Chain

Supply chain challenges are mounting for many retailers, especially those operating in multiple regions of the country and abroad. Consumers expect to be able to order and purchase products via any channel, then have them delivered to their channel of choice – and quickly! New technologies are providing the ways and means for merchants to deliver on the promise of omnichannel excellence. Now retailers must find the best ways to implement new solutions to stay competitive.

After spending 14 years at Nike, Chris Hull shifted gears and became the Chief Merchandising Officer for a fast-growing design brand selling leather goods, watches, bicycles and more. Based in Detroit, Mich., the company purchased the “Shinola” brand name in 2011; and as a tribute to that name, Shinola also sells shoe polish.

Since joining the Shinola team in 2015, Hull has worked to incorporate merchandising fundamentals and create opportunities to improve cross-functional communication so they can execute an effective go-to-market strategy. He shares his experience and insights in this exclusive Q&A.

Betabrand, an e-Commerce fashion retailer that crowdfunds and crowdsources ideas for its apparel designs, launched the “On-Your-Mark Heel Project” with one question in mind: “Can we create the next great pair of heels in less than a week?”

The retailer collaborated with CPG manufacturer and designer Li & Fung to launch the project. Through crowdsourcing and 3D digital rendering, Betabrand is banking on this project to create and sell new products even more quickly than its fast fashion competitors.

As the holiday season concludes, retailers now must manage an influx of returns. This period is critical in setting the tone for the coming year: more than 63% of shoppers agree (and 35% of shoppers strongly agree) that if they have a negative return experience, they will not return to that retailer, according to research from Promocodes.com.

Strict return policies can inhibit many consumers from shopping at a specific retailer in the first place: 51% said they avoid shopping at retailers with strict return policies, and 29% strongly agreed with this statement.

Many of retail’s biggest names have increased their investments in same-day delivery, including Walmart/Jet.com, Macy’s,Best Buy, PetSmart and Target. But seeing a startup apparel retailer with significantly fewer resources leverage same-day delivery is still a rarity.

TAYLRD, an e-Commerce men’s fashion company that primarily sells chino pants and button-down shirts, is nevertheless rolling out same-day delivery in New York.The retailer, which launched on Aug. 1, offers the same-day shipping service for $20.

Late deliveries are the classic lose-lose for both retailers and their customers. They are particularly painful during the holiday season, when the calendar creates a drop-dead deadline and shipping volumes balloon.

UncommonGoods took steps to deal with this challenge well ahead of the holiday season. For Father’s Day 2017, the retailer used a delivery intelligence platform from Convey to proactively identify shipments that were going to miss their promised delivery dates — days ahead of the actual deadline. UncommonGoods used this information to expedite new shipments guaranteed to arrive at their destinations on time. Meanwhile, existing in-transit shipments were intercepted by the carrier and returned to the warehouse.

A new survey reveals a major disconnect between retailers and consumers about the perceived value of shipping services: two thirds (66%) of shoppers think that the high cost of shipping does not justify the experience retailers provide. In fact, 59% of shoppers will opt to buy from a brick-and-mortar store if they perceive that the delivery fee for buying the same item online is too high, according to research from Temando.

Multiple shipping options are critical to providing an optimal customer experience. Consumers today want more options to control their deliveries; they want to dictate how, when and where products are shipped. The survey revealed that 41% of consumers want delivery from a local store or distribution center, and that 38% would be willing to pay for it. However, only 24% of retailers currently offer this option (18% would like to offer it within the next 12 months).

GameStop is testing out a new store concept with sister collectibles retailer ThinkGeek, converting approximately 200 GameStop stores into ‘50/50’ store concepts as part of its ongoing transformation efforts to expand beyond video game sales.

The co-branded GameStop/ThinkGeek stores will dedicate 50% of retail space to video game merchandise and the remaining 50% to pop culture and gaming-related collectible items, such as posters, figurines, statues, toys and gadgets. As part of the remodeled experience, GameStop also is doubling the amount of wall space dedicated to its current collectibles section within an additional 1,200 store locations.

In this exclusive Q&A with Japan’s Co-Op Deli Home Delivery Director, Junichi Nagashima, Retail TouchPoints uncovers the strategies and technologies driving the success of Co-Op Deli Consumer’s Co-Operative Union. With 4.64 million members (30% of households in the areas it serves), Co-Op Deli generated 386.5 billion yen ($3.45 billion) in home delivery sales and another 131.6 billion yen ($1.18 billion) in store sales in 2016.

Established in 1992 as a membership organization in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Co-Op Deli has been a global leader in developing the grocery home delivery market. UK businesses kicked off their efforts in the late 1990s; the U.S. has lagged behind, starting in earnest only in the early 2000s.

As many as 87% of online shoppers identify shipping speed as a major factor in deciding whether to shop with an e-Commerce retailer, according to data from Dotcom Distribution.

When making purchases from an unfamiliar brand, shoppers cited fast delivery as the top motivator (44%) for increasing brand trust, ranking almost twice as high as improved overall quality of the products themselves (24%). These findings reaffirm that delivery timing remains a significant necessity for brands as they seek to drive loyalty.

Retail is all about the customer today, and it’s vital to get the first mile of the shopping journey right in order to ensure a great customer experience through the last mile. That’s where retailer-supplier collaboration comes in.

In order to get the right products to the right consumers at the right time, retailers and their vendor partners must work together cohesively.